George W. Bush: ‘I hope Jeb runs’ for president

Former President George W. Bush says he has “no clue” what is on his brother Jeb’s mind about running for president but hopes his sibling seeks the White House.

If Jeb needs advice he can “give me a call,” the elder Bush brother told CNN in an interview to air in full later Thursday.

Jeb Bush has said he’s “thinking about” a White House bid but won’t make a decision until after this year’s midterm elections.

At this stage, if Jeb Bush were to run, he’d have a tough battle with Hillary Clinton, even in his own home state of Florida. A Quinnipiac poll released Thursday showed the former secretary of state beating Bush in Florida 49%-41%.

It doesn’t look much better for Bush in a hypothetical, nationwide matchup with Clinton. A Washington Post-ABC News poll earlier this week showed Clinton leading Bush 53% to 41%.

George W. Bush’s statement is at odds with a famous quip made last year by his mother Barbara, who said “We’ve had enough Bushes.”